A pair of Colorado beer makers survived to the third round of Untappd’s Brewery Madness.

New Belgium and Oskar Blues dominated competition through the first two rounds of the tournament to advance to the Sweet 16.

The creators of Untappd, a mobile app that allows users to rate and catalog the beers they drink, put together a bracket of the 64 most popular breweries on the app to coincide with the NCAA Tournament.

Nine Colorado breweries made the initial list and five (Avery, Coors, Left Hand, New Belgium and Oskar Blues) had advanced to the second round. Read more…

A bit of Fort Collins will come to Denver early next year with New Belgium’s 10-barrel brewery in RiNo, so it seems only fair that Denver returns the favor.

Prost Brewing Co., known for its German-style beers, plans to open a tasting room by late-March or early April at 321 Old Firehouse Alley in Fort Collins. Taking the back of Illegal Pete’s building, Prost will build out a tasting room and beer garden with a dozen beers on tap, said Troy Johnson, a Prost co-owner.

Prost Brewing

Fort Collins was a logical locale for Prost’s expansion, Johnston said, noting that two of the brewery’s partners live there, three went to college there and all continue to have strong ties to the community.

“We just wanted to be involved with the community,” Johnston said. “The location is great. It’s a work in progress.” Read more…

A sneak peek inside Great Divide Brewing’s Barrel Room bar at the new brewery in the River North neighborhood. (Photo by John Frank)

Inside Great Divide Brewing’s new taproom, it’s easy to see why they named it the Barrel Room.

Dark stained staves from old barrels pattern the walls, frame the light fixtures and hang from the ceiling like a thatch above a tiki bar. Through the windows behind the 16-tap bar, you can see barrels stacked high in a climate controlled room, aging special beers to come.

The new bar in Denver’s River North neighborhood — on Brighton Boulevard across the street from The Source — is the first phase of what will become a destination brewery.

The new space will allow Great Divide to expand it’s sour beer program and eventually make Brighton Boulevard as the local beer scene’s Sour Street, given sour-masters Crooked Stave’s taproom across the street at The Source and New Belgium’s planned 10-barrel brewery at the forthcoming Source Hotel, which will also feature the style.

The Barrel Room is not huge — it fits 30 to 40 people with a patio space that accommodates another 100 — and offers just a hint of what’s to come. It opens to the public at noon Friday.

Most of the action is behind the bar, in the 65,000 square foot warehouse that houses a new canning and kegging line, as well as space to store 1,500 barrels — some of which will reside in a room designed just for sour beers.

A marriage between Elysian and New Belgium was explored — but it was not meant to be (Denver Post file)

UPDATED and re-cast at 2:15 p.m. with comments from the involved parties.

Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing made a last-minute push to purchase Elysian Brewing just before Anheuser-Busch snatched up the Seattle craft brewing pioneer in a controversial deal that shook the U.S. craft beer industry, according to top executives at both breweries who spoke to First Drafts.

Elysian head-brewer and co-founder Dick Cantwell, who announced his resignation from the company on the eve of last month’s Craft Brewers Conference in Portland, Elysian co-founder Joe Bisacca and New Belgium president Kim Jordan all confirmed the discussions.

But the parties disagree on some key details and have different perspectives on whether the proposed marriage of craft-beer heavyweights ever was given a fair shot.

As 2014 comes to a close, we’re once again asking leading figures on the Colorado beer scene to reflect on the past year and look ahead to next. This seventh installment in our 4th annual Beer In Review features Justin Baccary, co-owner of Station 26 Brewing in northeast Denver, which opened nearly a year ago to strong reviews. With experienced head brewer Wayne Waananen manning the kettles, the brewery located in a renovated firehouse won a bronze medal in cream ale at its debut Great American Beer Festival. On to Justin’s picks:

On Dec. 31, 2012, agents with the state Liquor and Tobacco Enforcement Division abruptly shut down production of Dank IPA, the sole packaged offering of little Dad and Dude’s Breweria.

The Aurora-based father-and-son brewpub had been brewing on Denver-based Prost Brewing’s German copper kettles, and state regulators called foul on the arrangement. The contract had been written improperly, resulting in unintended problems in how taxes were supposed to be paid, among other things, said Dad and Dude’s co-founder Mason Hembree.

The setback could have crushed a small business. But instead, one of the state’s most modest brewing operations has rebounded to reach a new production agreement with another craft brewery, raise $1 million through donations from patrons and release two new canned beers as it seeks to bolster the profile of suburban Denver breweries.

Upslope’s latest is 7.6 percent alcohol by volume (provided by the brewery)

If you are looking for the poster beer for how far canned craft beer has come, consider the latest offering from Upslope Brewing Co.

The second in a limited series of specialty beers, Barrel Aged Brown Ale is rich and complex, the result of four months aging in Maryland-style rye whiskey barrels from small-batch Denver distillery Leopold Bros.

The 19.2 ounce can is tall, sleek and elegantly designed in silver and white with a dash of Upslope maroon. Nothing like a tallboy of swill.

Brewery co-founder Matt Cutter envisions his creation being stored in cellars and enjoyed months and even years from now as it matures and gains character. That’s right — a canned beer you can age.

Our new iPad app serves as a guide to metro Denver’s bountiful breweries, beer bars and bottle shops, the holy trinity of craft beer enjoyment for followers and fans. Download the app for iPad .
Next time you head for a beer in Boulder, don’t forget your friend, Beers of Boulder and Boulder County, an iPad app from the Daily Camera. Download the app for iPad .

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In Colorado, our pint glasses overflow with excellent beer. New breweries, new batches, festivals every other week. How lucky are we? First Drafts is The Denver Post's beer blog aimed at helping you keep tabs on the state's ever-expanding craft beer culture. We offer a mash of news, event coverage, homegrown stories, tasting notes and tips to help you imbibe. Expert drinker or homebrewer? Let us know what you're loving about Colorado's beer scene. Not sure exactly what a firkin is? No worries, let us be your guide. Go ahead. Belly up and drink it in!